Admitted bigamist claims second wife made him marry before divorce was finalized

LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) – Justin Mitchamore is only 21 and he already has two marriages under his belt. He's also been arrested for bigamy.

He thought he found his first love when he was only 19.

"We got married on March 14th, 2008 - three weeks later I guess she decided she didn't want to be married and we separated," said Mitchamore.

Justin claims his first wife, Rachel, told him not to worry about filing for divorce that she would take care of it. Mitchamore moved on with this life.

"In April 2009 I met Johna. The second wife," said Mitchamore.

Johna had plans to join the military, but Justin said her recruiter told them single moms must be married before basic training.

Justin says he was pushed by Johna to get married before her deadline.

"I gotta get my divorce - make sure my divorce is finalized. She said 'ok, I'll help you file it'." said Mitchamore.

Finalizing a divorce involves multiple court appearances, and tons of paperwork. He quickly realized it wouldn't happen in time. Justin told Johna they'd have to wait.

"When she started saying I can't wait, Justin. You know. You won't have to worry about this. Just go ahead and do it. If you care about me, Justin, you'll do this. I said, 'ok, Johna," said Mitchamore.

The couple decided to go to the county clerk's office to file for their marriage license, anyway.

Despite the large fraud warning at the counter, Justin says he allowed his second wife, Johna, to pressure him into saying no to the deputy clerk's questions.

"They asked us are you married to anybody else, or have you divorced in 30 days? She looked at me like shut the hell up," said Mitchamore.

Months later, on Monday, Justin showed up for the final divorce hearing with his first wife.

He says he walked in, knowing he would be arrested for the bigamy warrant.

"Didn't even get to walk out of the courthouse," said Mitchamore.

With the scam out in the open, his new wife Johna has filed for an annulment.

Now after two failed marriages and an arrest, Justin says both his wives taught him an important lesson.

"I'm not getting married again for a long time," said Mitchamore.

Both wives refused to comment on the situation.

Investigators say they don't plan on pursuing a bigamy case on his second wife.